BAND AID’S BACK

Can it really be 30 years since the original Band Aid version of ‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ was released?The original 1984 edition was launched by Bob Geldof in the hope of raising money for the fight against poverty which, at the time, was spreading through Africa, in particular Ethiopia.It included some of the biggest names in music, including George Michael, Phil Collins, Sting and members of U2 (Bono), Duran Duran, Spandau Ballet, Culture Club, Kool & The Gang and many more.Five years later, the second edition emerged, produced by Pete Waterman of the PWL Empire. As such, it was littered with stars from his roster, including Kylie Minogue, Jason Donovan, Sonia, Bananarama and Big Fun, plus Bros, Cliff Richard, Lisa Stansfield, Cathy Dennis and Wet Wet Wet.Then in 2004, the Band Aid machine was rolled out again, this time to benefit those in the war-torn region of Darfur in Sudan. Again, a roll call of big names were involved, including Chris Martin, Dido, Robbie Williams, Sugababes, Will Young, Roisin Murphy, Rachel Stevens, Estelle, Snow Patrol, Daniel and Natasha Bedingfield and U2 frontman Bono.Now the Band Aid machine is back again. And this time its sole aim is to raise funds for the fight against Ebola, which is decimating populations across West Africa. Again, the calibre of stars contributing vocals is incredibly impressive. Sir Bob is once again at the helm, aided by a swag of top name music industry talent including One Direction, Ed Sheeran, Coldplay, Sam Smith, Emeli Sandé, Jessie Ware, Olly Murs, Ellie Goulding, Paloma Faith and Bastille.‘Do They Know It’s Christmas?’ 2014 edition will be released on Monday.